Child's Play
"Child's Play" is the ninth episode of Season Four of Fox's Sleepy Hollow. It was written by Francisca X. Hu and directed by Michael Goi. It is the fifty-eighth episode of the series overall, and debuted on March 3, 2017. Synopsis When a monster appears that resembles Molly's childhood imaginary friend, Diana realizes her daughter's life as a Witness will be anything but normal. Meanwhile, Molly gets her chance to see the vault for the first time.http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20170208fox11/ Recap Jake runs through the forest... and trips. Another runner on the obstacle course complains that he's holding people up and jogs on. Alex comes over and wonders why they're there, and Jake insists that he needs to be ready. She points out that Jake just took down a demonic djinn and saved a bunch of lives--including hers--and he has nothing to prove. Despite that, Jake tells her to time him as he goes at it again. At school, class ends and Diana comes in as the art teacher, Mr. David, tells Molly that his last few assignments seemed incomplete. Indifferent, she starts to leave and Diana tells her to pay attention. Molly shrugs and leaves, and David asks Diana if everything is okay at home. He says that Molly hasn't been herself recently, and asks Diana to come by later to discuss it because he has to attend a faculty meeting. As Diana and Molly drive home, Diana tries to talk to her daughter about what happened. She says that school is important even with everything that happened, and it's good for them to do normal things. Molly figures that strange things will continue happen to them, and says that in her vision of the future Ichabod was so scared and alone. Diana says that she has something to show Molly and takes her to the Vault. At the Vault, Jake tells Molly that the place is a library of the impossible. Molly perks up and Alex asks her to help test out an Amerindian relic. Diana tells Molly that she gets to be a part of a secret club, and Molly says that it's cool. She says that she has to do some stuff and Jake and Alex will show her around until Ichabod gets there. Malcolm lies on a bed of nails and tells Jobe that Indian ascetics have used the same technique to enhance their vision. He needs to extend his own visions, and has Jobe put a stone on his chest. The demon says that he hopes Malcolm finds what he seeks and then hits the stone with a hammer. Malcolm sits at a dinner table outside the White House as Molly cheerfully sketches him. She asks for the nearby stringed quartet to play her favorite, and Malcolm chuckles, saying that he can't deny her anything. Malcolm sits up and the penetration marks on his back instantly heal. He tells Jobe that in his visions of the future he isn't alone. At the Vault, Alex and Jake go to get takeout. Molly is examining the hat worn by Davy Crockett, and Ichabod explains that it's made of Wendigo pelt. She wonders where the monsters come from, and Ichabod explains that they come from Purgatory and dimensional pockets, and are summoned by evil people. Molly says that she knows a good monster, an imaginary friend she made up when she was little. She shows Ichabod sketches that she made of "Mr. Stitch," and hums the song that he used to sing her. In an underground chamber, something emerges. Ichabod shows Molly the secret tunnels beneath DC and they yell, testing the echoes. Further along in the tunnels, Mr. Stitch moves, triggering one of Benjamin's swards. Meanwhile, metal shutters come down on the vault doors and Ichabod realizes that he can't open them. Outside, Jake tries to tape out a message but Ichabod calls over the radio. Alex figures that it's a security system, and Jake finds Benjamin's mark on the door. They figure that it's warded against supernatural threats. Diana arrives and Alex says that Molly is safe and it's probably just a short in the system. Jake finds wards carved at a later time, and among them is a federal ID. Alex looks it up and discovers that it belongs to Claudia Russell, who was the last agent who worked at Vault 355 until 2011. They get the address, and Diana says that she has to meet with David. Jake and Alex tell her to go ahead and meet with the teacher, and Diana says that she'll be with them as soon as she can. In his classroom, David turns to see a cloth-wrapped glad figure in his doorway. The figure charges at him and smashes him down. Diana arrives a few minutes later and finds a badly-injured David on the classroom floor. She calls for an ambulance and notices a pie of a child's blanket clutched in David's hand. When the EMTs arrive and take David away, Diana calls Ichabod and tells him what happened. She explains about Mr. Stitch, and Ichabod explains that Molly showed him a picture of the creature. They figure that Molly's imaginary friend has come to life, and says that he'll talk to Molly. Diana goes to the house to get Molly's old drawings. Jake and Alex go to Claudia's old house in the country. He says that when he was transferred to Vault 355 the place has been abandoned for years, and hopes that Claudia can fill in the gaps. They knock at the front door and a shotgun blast goes off through the door. Alex peers through the resulting hall and realizes that the door is booby trapped. They slip inside and find a woman's desiccated corpse in a chair. At her home, Diana goes through Molly's drawings. Jenny comes in after Ichabod briefed her, and Diana shows her the original blanket. It's intact, meaning Mr. Stitch popped out of Molly's head. Jenny says that Ichabod is looking into the spell that activated the creature, and asks for details. Diana explains that when Molly was 6, Diana told her to draw what made her happy. She says that Molly's Witness status has brought her and her daughter come together. Alex finds a VHS tape of Claudia. She says that some creature got her despite all the hexes and wards that she puts up, and warns that evil always finds a way. Claudia talks about how they thought they had all the advantages, including the Vault, but people forgot to be afraid of the monsters. She says that she never forgot about the sacrifices they made, and mentions her friend Michael. After what happened to her, Claudia left the Vault to get away from the demons and the memories. She warns that they'll find her because evil never forgets, but she'll be ready for them. Ichabod tries to move a desk while looking for escape routes, and says that they should never wait for people to help them. As he works, he asks Molly if she's heard of the legend of Pygmalion. She hasn't, and Ichabod explains that Pygmalion fell in love with his sculpture of a woman, and he entreated the gods to bring her to life. He says that passion and artistic talent can bring something to life, and explains that they believe Mr. Stitch attacked David. Ichabod asks if she's dabbled with magic recently, and Molly insists that she's been careful. When Ichabod asks why Molly thinks Mr. Stitch would have gone after David, Molly insists that she's not mad at him. She says that her mother thinks but she's not. She says with frustration Diana can't understand what she is feeling. As Diana and Jenny leave the house, the ward on the wall glows green. Mr. Stitch appears and advances on them. Jenny shoots it but it shrugs off the bullets and knocks her aside. Diana shoots at it as well but it keeps advancing. Jenny grabs a shovel and knocks it back, and they get inside. The creature grabs Diana's throat but the women manage to slam the door shut, breaking its grip. They then go back outside but Mr. Stitch has disappeared. The sun has just set, and Diana explains that in Molly's stories, Mr. Stitch went to bed as sundown. As Diana and Jenny drive to the Vault, they call Ichabod and tell him what happened. Ichabod figures that a basic summoning ritual will draw Mr. Stitch out. Among Molly's sketches are those of a now-closed-down amusement park that Molly used to love. They figure that Mr. Stitch is drawn there, and Jenny passes on Ichabod's theory that Mr. Stitch is going after those who Molly has subconscious negative emotions for. Diana is shocked that somewhere in her mind, Molly hates her. Jenny assures her that Molly loves Diana so much that she can't tell her that her feelings without hurting her mother, and Jenny says that something bigger than life is sending Diana a message. Jake and Alex bring back Claudia's notes and find a reference to the Norse glyphs that she used. The actuators are magical and physical, meaning that reading the glyphs will give them access to a servo. The servo is located in a utility vault and the entry point is inside the vault… and there's one other problem. The agents give Ichabod directions to the narrow tunnel that leads to the servo. Molly offers to go and Ichabod forbids it, but Alex points out that the servo is close enough that Ichabod can talk to her constantly. The girl says that she wants to do it and it's her fault, and Ichabod reluctantly agrees. Ichabod lowers Molly down on a rope and Jake reads the glyph. Molly finds the other set of glyphs on the servo and manages to shift the first two levers. The third one is jammed, and Molly finds what appears to be another way out. She removes the rope from her waist and heads down the tunnel, and Ichabod realizes that she's on her own. Jake and Alex head to the alley where the tunnel leads. Molly comes to a grate and manages to open it. Malcolm grabs her hands and pulls her out. Diana and jenny arrive at the abandoned amusement park and Jenny says that Ichabod told her that a simple decomposition spell should do the trick. They go to the play ship in Molly's drawings. Malcolm introduces himself and says that he's heard a lot about her. He tells her that she's special, and assures her that she's blessed with an extraordinary capacity for creativity and vision. Malcolm says that he's been following her progress for a while and asks if she's happy. He doesn't think that she is, and that she knows deep down that something's not right with her and her family and the world. Malcolm tells her that it's going to get better. Molly says that she has to get back to her friends, and Malcolm takes her hand and says that he'll see her soon. Once he leaves, Jake and Alex arrive and Molly realizes that Malcolm gave her something. Jenny prepares the decomposition spell and the two women set the blanket in the middle of it. As Jenny begins the spell, Mr. Stitch steps out and Diana tells Jenny that she'll distract it. She shoots the creature and runs into a nearby funhouse, and Mr. Stitch goes after her. The creature smashes through the walls and knocks her down, but Jenny arrives and smashes it over the back with a board. Mr. Stitch knocks her aside and goes after Diana... just as Molly, Jake, and Alex arrive. Molly apologizes for bringing Mr. Stitch there, and says that she should have talked to Diana. Jake and Alex take Jenny to the spell circle. Molly tells Diana that she doesn't like it when she keeps things from her. She admits that she's angry with Diana, and Diana says that she can let it all out. As they hug, Jenny sets the blanket on fire and completes the spell. The sparks surround Mr. Snitch, and Molly says goodbye to it as it disappears. The next day, Jenny goes into the duct to release the last lever. Alex says that Claudia's documents are a tale of woe that is in store for them as well. Jake tells her that they're different because they have the others. He insists that they won't lose each other like Claudia lost Michael, and promises that the two of them will end it together just like they started. Jenny opens the door and Jake gives Ichabod his Chinese takeout. Later, Alex finds an item that fell out of Molly's backpack. There's a tablet with a Wiccan hex on it, and the person who donated the tablet to the local schools is Malcolm. She figures that Malcolm planted the device on Molly to conjure the monster, and specifically targeted her. Malcolm shuts down the company and a worker tells Helen that their former boss is crazy. She says that she figures Malcolm is after something different now. Meanwhile, Malcolm oversees the building's shutdown. He tells Jobe that he's decides to let the business go because it no longer brings him joy. He needs every resource to move on to the next phase, and asks Jobe how his team is coming along. The demon says that the second recruit is ready to be plucked soon. Jobe asks what Malcolm plans to do with Molly, and Malcolm says that he didn't know was how much he could mean to her. He figures that she needs a real father in her life. Cast Starring *Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane *Janina Gavankar as Special Agent Diana Thomas *Lyndie Greenwood as Jenny Mills *Jerry MacKinnon as Jake Wells *Rachel Melvin as Alex Norwood *Oona Yaffe as Molly Thomas *Jeremy Davies as Malcolm Dreyfuss Guest Starring *Kamar de los Reyes as Jobe *Derek Mears as Mr. Stitch *Claire Byrne as Claudia Russell Co-Starring *Kathleen Hogan as Helen Donovan *Michael Scialabba as Mr. David *Devon Tresan as Twelve Year Old Girl *Derrick Lamont as Colleague Multimedia Videos Sleepy Hollow 4x09 Promo "Child's Play" (HD) Trivia References ---- Category:Season 4 episodes